It may surprise you
to learn that some laundry and dishwashing detergents contain quite high levels of salt!
How does this affect you?
To save water, many people are re-using greywater on
their gardens. It’s vital then, that the level of salt in
greywater is not too high. But even if your laundry and
kitchen wastewater goes straight down the drain, it’s still
important to lower the level of salt in it.
Why?
Melbourne's Sewage Treatment Plants have set a target to reuse 20% of treated wastewater. Unfortunately though, salts are very difficult and expensive to remove from wastewater, significantly restricting its suitability for options such as irrigation.
It is far more logical to find ways to reduce the level of salts from entering wastewater in the first place! One of the main sources of sodium salts in domestic wastewater is household detergents.
Why is salt such a problem? |  info |
- It damages the soil structure making it less permeable, and irrigation ineffective.
- It can burn the roots and leaves of plants.
- It can corrode pipes, joints and equipment.
If we reduce the amount of sodium salts in our wastewater, more water can be reused and saved! | info |
